Instant Attraction
by aryaunderfoot11
Summary: Five years into the future, Ward has redeemed himself and Skye is finally in control of her gift. Could the two of them finally be in a good enough place to be together? The two attempt to find out in this one-shot, with just enough fluff to satisfy anyone behind the Skye/Ward ship. Rated T for slight sexual references.


Instant Attraction

She was as beautiful as he remembered, but there was a hardness, no, a _sophistication_ to her now. It was as if she had finally grown into the person she was meant to be, finally accepted her true nature. She moved deliberately, with a purpose, observing everything around her, feeling their vibrations, testing their frequencies. He had never seen her so in control, not only of herself, but of the others in the room. There wasn't a single eye in the entire restaurant that wasn't trained on her figure, and he couldn't blame them for looking. Her caramel colored skin and raven colored hair contrasted starkly with her ruby red dress. She was powerful, commanding, magnificent.

He was a completely different man from the one he had been five years ago. She would never have thought she would see him so at peace, so one with himself. He had grown up, learned to let go of his past, regained his dignity, not for her or anyone else, but for himself. She was proud of him, more than anything else, but she also couldn't help but notice the familiar curve to his jaw or the way his grey, collared shirt clung to his torso. She reached out to him with her mind, felt the vibration of his body, the frequency that belonged to only him and felt something unexpected. He was nervous.

"Grant Ward," she said when she reached the table.

He stood.

"Skye," he said, kissing her on the cheek.

"I go by Daisy now, Daisy Johnson," she corrected. "But Skye is still acceptable. I can understand how it might be difficult to make that adjustment."

"I'll do my best," he said, and then invited her to sit down.

"It's been a long time," she began.

"It has. A lot has happened since the last time we were together."

"I heard you fell back into Coulson's good graces."

"Oh? And who would you have heard that from?"  
Skye shot him a coy smile.

"I have my sources."

"Uh huh, and what else did these sources have to say about me?"

"Besides your heroics when it came down to reinstating S.H.I.E.L.D. under Coulson, and making sure it is run the right way this time, not much. Something about a promotion to the position of the organization's second in command, the same position as Maria Hill, and a full pardon from previous crimes did catch my attention, however."

"I was lucky."

"No, you changed. We all do it, some in more extreme ways than others."

"You would know better than most, wouldn't you, Quake?"

Skye laughed, "Touché. So I'm not the only one with sources then?"

"I saw your file recently, which is what prompted me to ask you to this dinner. I have a few things to atone for."  
"Ward, the last time I saw you, I shot you in the stomach. We've both made mistakes on our journeys to self-discovery. If you can let it go, I can too."

"That's very diplomatic of you."

"Is that supposed to mean, apology accepted?"

"You've changed too. You're much less… feisty."

"Did you figure that out just by observing me for the last two minutes, or does it say that in my file?" Skye teased.

"I take it back. Your sass is definitely intact."

"The biggest difference is that I now know when it is most effective to use, and when to reign it in."

"And wherever did you learn such control?"

"A girl's gotta have her secrets," Skye replied with a wink.

Ward ran his hands through his hair, flushed, and then surprised Skye by blushing.

"Welcome to Tre Jolie, the Empire Hotel's premiere dining locale!" a petite blonde girl said a little too excitedly, interrupting Skye's thoughts of running her own hands through Grant Ward's hair. "I'm Shelby, I'll be your waitress. Are ya'll ready to order?"

"I'll have the New York Strip, medium rare," Ward said, flashing the waitress a smile so pristine, it could probably have blinded the sun.

Shelby furiously scribbled on her pad of paper which, Skye noticed, had a sparkly picture of Hello Kitty on it. Skye let her mind reach out to their waitress, and felt the buzzing of nervous energy ebbing and flowing through her. Due to her over-excited demeanor, and general naiveté, Skye could only assume that this was one of her first days on the job.

"I'll take the cedar plank salmon and a Caesar salad. Pescatarian," Skye explained to Ward who obviously remembered her always ravenous, highly carnivorous appetite. "Helps with that control thing we were talking about earlier."

"Alright!" Shelby drawled loudly, taking their menus.

Before the girl could walk away, Skye brushed her arm, calming the vibrations coursing through her. Then she spoke, "Shelby, there's no need to be nervous. You're doing fine. Take a few breaths, and do good work. That's all this job really requires."

Shelby looked at her for a minute, a confused expression on her face, "Thanks," she said finally in a much more relaxed tone. "That actually means a lot."

Skye nodded, and Shelby walked away.

Ward raised his eyebrows, "How did you…"

"I'm sure if you've read my file, you're aware of my power."

He nodded.

"What the file probably doesn't say is that each object, living or non-living, in the whole world vibrates at their own distinct frequency. In the case of humans however, those vibrations can exhibit similar behavior if a person is experiencing any kind of intense emotion, like rage, devastation, joy, or in our waitress's case, nervousness."

"You can sense emotions."

"Just the ones that effect the body's natural vibrations. The really potent ones. And with a little manipulation, I can calm those emotions. Though I'm always a little wary of doing that. People should really deal with their emotions in the capacity that's right for them."

"You're amazing," Ward said, his eyes locked on hers, resisting the urge he had to reach across the table and take her hand.

She laughed, "Not even remotely. You should meet my mother. _She's_ amazing."

His eyes widened, "So you did meet her then? I only heard rumors that she was still alive."

"She is very much alive, and probably the reason I am too. I was with her for a few years learning to control my power before I became a sponsor myself. She's… patient, loving… she's just everything a daughter could ask for."

"You had to get it all from somewhere," Ward tried.

"Oh come on!" Skye laughed. "That was the cheesiest line ever!"

"A guy's gotta try, you know?" he replied, reaching for her hand despite his doubt that it would go over well. When Skye let him take her hand without any argument, he did his best not to look surprised, even though he was. Softly, she began to trace her thumb around in small circles on his knuckles. He took a sharp breath in, and the two of them locked eyes.

"You know," she murmured, "I could feel your nervous energy when I walked in here too. Don't you think it's a little un-Ward of you to be so apprehensive?"

He smiled, "The Grant Ward you used to know is not really around anymore. Ever since I rejoined S.H.I.E.L.D. and Coulson pardoned me… I'm not quite sure who I am. I don't want to go back to the dark place I was in before, and I can't be content living as just the soldier, but that leaves me in uncharted territory. I haven't ever known more than duty or vengeance. So you could say that I'm a little uncertain about everything lately."

"I understand completely," Skye said.

Ward looked at her confusedly, and she did her best to explain, "When I first got these powers and started to learn about my origins, my parents, the life I could have had, I felt such a disconnect from who I was as a person, and who I could have been had I grown up knowing who I was. I had spent my whole life forming my own identity, and all of a sudden it was almost as if I was expected to be this girl, Daisy Johnson, who was in fact a perfect stranger to me. It took a long time to find a good balance between Skye and Daisy, and sometimes I think I'm still figuring it out.

"There are still days when I wake up and feel the world shake around me and it's all too much to take. Those are the days I wish Skye, resistance fighter, hacker extraordinaire, and all around tech-nerd could be the only part of me that exists. But then I think of my mother, my gift, all the people I can help with it… and I can't hate the part of me that is Daisy. I guess what I'm saying is there are always going to be parts of ourselves that we can't stand, things we've done that we wish we never had, but those things shape who we are now. That dark part of you, the part that hungered for vengeance, the part that worked for Hydra, and the soldier that S.H.I.E.L.D. trained you to be, those versions of you will always exist, all you can do is let them be the tools that guide you to being the best version of yourself you can be now."

Ward shook his head.

"What?" Skye asked.

"I, uh… I loved you once. I'm beginning to remember why, that's all."

This time it was Skye's turn to blush, and she was grateful that in that moment Shelby came back with their meals, saving her from having to come up with a reply to Ward's profession. The truth was, she had thought she loved him once too, a very long time ago. But, they had both just gotten done talking about how much the two of them had changed, were this Skye and this Grant as compatible as their past selves?

After Shelby departed the conversation shifted to less serious things. Skye asked about his role in S.H.I.E.L.D., and Ward confessed he didn't get to be out in the field as much as he used to since his promotion to number two. Mostly he worked with S.H.I.E.L.D.'s other top agent, Maria Hill on the diplomatic side of things. It wasn't often he got to see action. Then, Ward attempted to turn the conversation to the Inhumans for a few minutes, but there wasn't much Skye could tell him about her people that wasn't classified. There were certain things known by the general public, but beyond that she couldn't say anything, not even to someone so high ranking in the government agency that her people worked the closest with. It wasn't that she didn't want to divulge that information, it was just safer for everyone if she kept it to herself.

The two of them were finishing off a shared piece of key lime pie when Ward brought up the subject again.

"Just tell me, how much can Medusa bench?" Ward asked.

Skye laughed, "The Queen does not divulge such things to her humble subjects. But I would bet it's a lot."

"God I missed you. I don't think I even realized how much until I was right here with you."

"I missed you too, Grant," she said, reaching across the table to take his hand again. As she did, it felt like a million electric pulses were going through her fingers. She wasn't sure if it had something to do with her gift, or if it was just the adrenaline of his skin on hers.

"I did a lot of horrible things, Skye, especially to you," Ward said, looking down at their entwined fingers.

"Grant, I told you already, it's in the past."  
"Do you remember that day you found out about my ties to Hydra?"

Skye nodded.

"You looked at me that day with such fear in your eyes… I've never been able to get that completely out of my head…"

"Ward, look at me, please."

He hesitated but eventually he raised his dark brown eyes to hers, and in them she saw more vulnerability than she thought she ever would. She knew then, that trust could be rebuilt between them, but how could she make him see that too?

"I remember that day vividly, and I was definitely scared, but do _you_ remember who I was then? I was barely a S.H.I.E.L.D. agent, completely unable to protect myself, thrust into a world that I knew nothing about. I was vulnerable and worried that the connections I had made within our team were too good to be true. I had been on the run for virtually my entire life, never in one place for more than a few months. I was used to being betrayed, but I had let my guard down with you, so in the end it hurt that much more.

"You have to understand, though, that I am not that girl anymore. I'm as different from her as I possibly can be. I'm not afraid, I'm not running from my problems, I have learned,"—she squeezed his hand tightly—"to trust again. And, I forgive you."

Ward was stunned. If there was one thing he would never be used to, it would be receiving forgiveness from the people he had wronged most in life. He had gotten it from Coulson and now from Skye, and he was still pretty sure he didn't deserve it from either one of them. He studied her face, felt her hand in his, marveled at the way she was looking at him, and did his best to accept it all.

"So," she said, her voice getting lower. "I'm staying in town for a few days on official Inhumans' business, and I do happen to have a suite in this very hotel. Would you… like to come up for a drink?"

Ward raised an eyebrow, "You're sure?"

"Of course."

Skye charged the meal to her room, and led Ward to the elevator. Seventeen floors up, she slid her keycard into the slot on the door, and held it open for him. As it closed she realized how truly alone they were. He turned to look at her, and she tried to restrain herself from acting impulsively, but unfortunately her power could not work on her own emotions.

Ward saw the look in her eyes, the longing, the need she felt to be close to him again, and he reciprocated. He took a few steps toward her, and she took a few steps backward, until she felt the door pressing into her back.

"Where are you going?" he asked her, his face mere inches from hers

She shook her head, "Nowhere. I'm good right here, with you."

Cupping Skye's cheek with his hand, Ward leaned down to kiss her gently on the lips. They parted for a moment, both of them aware that this was the point of no return, that if they didn't stop now, their lives would become entangled once again.

"This is what you want?" Ward asked.

Skye thought for a moment and then nodded, "You, Grant, I want you. Part of me has been wanting you for years, but I don't think either one of us were in a good enough place, until now. But, what about you? You understand that there are things I will never be able to tell you, secrets about my people that will have to stay secret, that there is a part of me that you will never know."

"Skye," he sighed, and then corrected himself, "Daisy, you are extraordinary, and part of me believes I don't deserve you. I am a broken man, and I have no clue where my life is heading. But, if there is one thing I know for sure, it's that I want to spend the rest of the time I have to figure it out, with you."

Skye grinned, and threw herself into Grant's arms, no longer able to control impulses. Her mother would have been so disappointed. But, as Ward carried her to the queen sized bed in the next room, as he undressed her, and kissed her from head to toe, as he held her close and made his way inside her, she found that it was nice to lose control a little, if only for a moment.

"Skye," Ward breathed heavily, "You're shaking the bed, babe."

She giggled, "Are you sure you aren't doing that?"

"Oh very funny. I am not the one with earthquake powers."

"Touché," she said, kissing him deeply, her lips pleasurably numb.

For the remainder of the night they lost themselves in one another, until it wasn't totally clear where one of them ended and the other began. There was so much history, so much pain to work through, to feel together, but they put that off, simply because they could.

Grant Ward had never dreamed that he would get a chance to wake up in Skye's arms, but when he opened his eyes the next morning, there she was, completely unmoved from the night before. Her arms were wrapped around his torso, and her long, raven hair spilled over his bare chest. She breathed heavily, still in a deep sleep, and Ward was content to lay there and watch her, simply because if she woke up it might turn out to have all been a dream.

Unfortunately, S.H.I.E.L.D. had other plans. A few minutes after waking, his cell phone rang. The caller ID read: Director of Engineering. Ward sighed, not wanting to ruin the moment, but Skye stirred, and duty called.

"Fitz," Ward said, picking up the phone. "What can I do for you?"

"Good morning sir," Leo Fitz answered in a lilting Scottish accent.

"You are much too chipper for this time of the day," Ward complained, rubbing the sleep from his eyes.

"It's eleven a.m. sir."

"Fine. I repeat, what can I do for you?"

"We have a situation at the base. We need you and Agent Hill back here as soon as possible."

"Is it urgent?"

"It is… pressing, sir."

Ward sighed, "I'll be over as soon as I can, Fitz. I'm in New York City, but I'll charter a flight in about an hour."

"ETA?"

"Eighteen-hundred hours."

"We will be awaiting your arrival, sir. But, if you don't mind me asking, why are you in New York?"

"Personal business, Fitz. I'm visiting an old friend."

Skye, hearing Ward's conversation, leaned over so her mouth was by his phone and yelled, "Fitz! Long time, no see!"

"Is that Skye?" Fitz asked.

"It is," Ward confessed.

"Yes Jemma, alright," Fitz muttered. "Tell Skye that Jemma says hi, or she may not talk to me for the next week, which would be very awkward for our children."

Ward laughed, "Will do."

The two of them said their goodbyes and Ward hung up the phone.

"Leo Fitz, huh?" Skye said. "How is he?"

"He's the co-director of bio-engineering with his wife Jemma Simmons, they have a three-year-old boy and a new baby girl, and his brain damage now barely effects his work."

"Wow. A real fairytale ending, huh?"

"Something like that. But, I don't want to talk about him right now. It appears I only have about an hour before I need to get out of here, and there is a hot shower calling our names."

"Oh there is, is there? What if I had my heart set on staying in bed all day long?"

"Don't you have business to attend to today? Come on. Who knows how long this issue at the S.H.I.E.L.D. base will keep me occupied? This could be our last chance for a while."

In the shower, Ward explored every inch of her once again, doing his best to memorize her. He had meant it when he told her that he knew it could be a while before the two of them could be together again, as much as that thought pained him. They led two very different, very hectic lives.

"This isn't the end of us, you know that right?" Skye said, once they were dry. She sat on the bed wrapped in a white towel, her knees pulled into her chest. A position that made her look much younger and more fragile than she was.

"Of course I know that," he replied.

"It kind of seems like you aren't sure."

Ward sighed, "In our line of work it can be difficult to tell what's coming next. But trust me, if there's a you to come back to, I'll be there. I promise."

"I promise too," Skye said, getting up to help him tie his tie. When she was finished she smoothed it down and looked up at him. He had the most heart-breakingly, loving look on his face, and it made her sad that he had to leave all over again.

Ward leaned down and planted a long kiss on Skye's lips, "I'm so glad you agreed to meet me."

"Me too."

"I'll miss you."

"And I you, Grant Ward."

They embraced one more time.

Before Ward walked out the door he turned and said, "I'll see you soon, Daisy Johnson."

Skye smiled, "Not if I see you first."

And then, just like that, he walked out of her life just as quickly as he had walked back into it the previous night. Everything was so uncertain it made Skye want to scream and pound her fists into something, but she settled for meditation. The last thing she needed was to level an entire hotel in the middle of the Upper West Side. That would most definitely cause some issues.

She was about fifteen minutes into losing herself to the inner light, when her cell phone buzzed on the bedside table.

"Hello."

"Hi."

She breathed deeply as his deep voice came over the line and calmed every nerve in her body, the way she was sure meditation would never be able to again.

"Did you forget something?"

"You could say that."

"What is it?"

"You, mostly. I just want you to know that you are it for me. There won't be anyone else. I will wait for you, Skye, for as long as it takes for us to be back together."

Skye's heart fluttered. It was all so sudden, but in a way it really wasn't. Grant Ward and she, had had a rough start together. Once upon a time, neither one of them had known who they were, or what they wanted out of life, and while it was still a little foggy, they both had a much better grip on life in general now. There would always be room to grow, but all of a sudden it was possible for them to grow together, and Skye couldn't give that up.

"I will wait for you too, Grant, for as long as it takes."

She heard him breathe a sigh of relief, "Good."

There is silence for a moment.

"We're about to take off, I have to go…"

"It's okay. Give Fitz-Simmons and Coulson my love."

"You'll hear from me soon."

"I'll be waiting."

"Goodbye," they said at the same time, and as Skye hung up she no longer felt the need for meditation. For the first time in a long while, knowing that she had Grant Ward on her side, she felt completely at ease within herself, the vibrations of the universe around her completely silent.

 **AUTHOR'S NOTE: Thanks for reading, PLEASE REVIEW. I really have major feels for Skye and Ward, and it seems highly improbable that the two of them will ever actually be together on the show, so I wrote this to make myself feel better. Let me know what you think. Did you love it? Did you hate it? I NEED opinions (however please be respectful).**

 **xxxo AryaUnderfoot**


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